Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Infrastructure Rehabilitation'

The development of composite materials by combining two or more constituents with improved mechanical properties, when compared to either of the constituents alone, has existed since biblical times when straw or horse hair was mixed with clay or mud to produce bricks. During the second half of the twentieth century, modern composites known as fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) - consisting of a reinforcing phase (fibers) embedded into a matrix (polymeric resin or binder) - were developed to meet the performance challenges of space exploration and air travel. With time, externally-bonded FRP applications for strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) structures gained popularity within the construction industry. To date, the confinement of RC columns using FRP systems is a convenient and well established solution to strengthen, repair and retrofit structural concrete members. This technology has become mainstream due to its cost effectiveness, and relative ease and speed of application with respect to alternative rehabilitation techniques such as steel or concrete jackets. However, significant margins exist to advance externally-bonded composite rehabilitation technologies by addressing economic, technological, and environmental issues posed by the use of organic polymer matrices, some of which are addressed in this dissertation. Articulated in three studies, the dissertation investigates the development of a sustainable, reversible, and compatible fiber reinforced cement-based matrix (FRC) composite system for concrete confinement applications in combination with a novel test method aimed at characterizing composites under hydrostatic pressure. Study 1 develops and characterizes a FRC system from different fiber and inorganic matrix combinations, while evaluating the confinement effectiveness in comparison to a conventional FRP system. The feasibility of making the application reversible was investigated by introducing a bond breaker between the concrete substrate and the composite jacket in a series of confined cylinders. The prototype FRC system produced a substantial increase in strength and deformability with respect to unconfined cylinders. A superior deformability was attained without the use of a bond breaker. The predominant failure mode was loss of compatibility due to fiber-matrix separation, which points to the need of improving fiber impregnation to enable a more efficient use of the constituent materials. Additionally semi-empirical linear and nonlinear models for ultimate compressive strength and deformation in FRC-confined concrete are also investigated. Study 2 compares through a life cycle assessment (LCA) method two retrofitting strategies: a conventional organic-based, with the developed inorganic-based composite system presented in Study 1, applied to concrete cylinders by analyzing three life cycle impact indicators: i) Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions, ii) embodied energy, and, iii) carbon foot print. Overall the cement-based composite provides an environmentally-benign alternative over polymer-based composite strengthening system. Results also provide quantitative information regarding the environmental and health impacts to aid with the decision-making process of design when selecting composite strengthening systems. Study 3 is divided into two parts, Part A presents the development of a novel "Investigation of Circumferential-strain Experimental" (ICE) methodology for characterization of circumferential (hoop) strain of composite laminates, while Part B uses the experimental data reported in Part A to explicitly evaluate the effect of FRP jacket curvature and laminate thickness on strain efficiency. Results showed that the proposed ICE methodology is simple, effective and reliable. Additionally, the ultimate circumferential strain values increased with increasing cylinder diameter, while being consistently lower when compared to similar flat coupon specimens under the same conditions. The ultimate FRP tensile strain was found to be a function of the radius of curvature and laminate thickness, for a given fiber ply density and number. The effect of these findings over current design guidelines for FRP confined concrete was also discussed.

Following large rain events, extraneous freshwater contributions known as inflow and infiltration (I/I) bypass the storm sewer and enter the sanitary sewer system. In areas with a high water table, like Pinellas County and the surrounding Tampa Bay area, a majority of the wastewater infrastructure is submerged year round exacerbating the rate of groundwater infiltration. This excess flow overloads the existing wastewater infrastructure leading to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). These SSOs result in serious problems for municipalities and utilities across the country. This study was performed in order to assist Pinellas County Utilities in rehabilitating their southern sewer system. To do this, 59 sub-basins across 8 sewer zones were monitored through Pinellas County’s Phase 1 Flow Monitoring Program accounting for over 150 miles of gravity pipe. For each sub-basin, a flow meter was utilized to measure the flow from May to October, 2017. This data was analyzed to separately quantify the amount of infiltration and inflow in each sub-basin, respectively. Once quantified, a Severity Index (SI) was developed in order to give each sub-basin a score from 1-100 as it relates to the condition of the gravity mains in the sub-basin. The SI was a function of locational features available with the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS), such as the distance to water bodies and the soil hydrologic group (SHG), as well as intrinsic pipe properties including the type of pipe material and the age of pipe. Once validated with additional flow monitoring data, the developed SI framework can serve as an additional tool utilized by Pinellas County Utilities to identify areas in need of sanitary sewer rehabilitation. Being that the model only requires easily attainable information, this approach is less time consuming and is inexpensive as compared to traditional flow monitoring efforts. The study also examined the required monetary investment by Pinellas County Utilities in order to abate the 17 sub-basins observed in the study with an infiltration rate greater than the marginal threshold put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The study indicated that gravity pipe rehabilitation does not make a significant impact on groundwater infiltration until at least 30% of the gravity pipes in the sub-basin are lined. This is due to the groundwater table submerging a majority of the wastewater infrastructure. Once this threshold is met, lining was observed to abate groundwater infiltration linearly. The results found that $4.4 million will be required to rehabilitate the affected sub-basins to a marginal rate of infiltration and reduce the flow to South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility (SCBWRF) by an average of 0.72 mgd (million gallons per day). On an annual basis, this reduction in flow will result in approximately $650,000 in treatment costs savings.

No matter how inspection techniques have been advanced, manual visual inspection is currently still the first and fundamental step in assessing civil infrastructure. If no sign of deterioration has been spotted in manual inspection, any future inspection actions is not necessary to take. However, manual inspection has been identified with several limitations including the qualitative nature of inspection results, the time-consuming inspection process, and the heavy reliance on inspectors' and/or engineers' experience. In order to overcome these limitations, automated visual inspection systems have been proposed to enhance and/or replicate the manual inspection process. A number of image processing methods have been developed in detecting defects (i.e. coating rusts) and damage (i.e. cracks) on civil infrastructure. Their effectiveness has been verified in inspecting structures, such as bridges, underground pipes, and tunnels. Although existing methods are effective in finding defects and damage from digital images, missing two important links limits their application for rapid infrastructure assessment and rehabilitation. The first link is the correlation between the defects/damage and the structural members that the defects/damage lie on. The second link is the relationship between the defects/damage and their impacts on the structural members. The purpose of this research is to investigate the way of establishing these two links. It is focused on the retrieval of critical structural members and defects/damage information from images/videos, and then the utilization of this information for automated and rapid assessment and rehabilitation of civil infrastructure. Specifically, a combination of techniques from the areas of visual pattern recognition, digital filtering, and machine vision have been used in order to develop a set of methods for concrete column recognition, crack properties retrieval, and air pockets and discoloration detection and evaluation. The methods proposed in this research were implemented in a Microsoft Visual Studio environment, and tested on the real images/videos of concrete structures inflicted with cracks, air pockets and discoloration. The test results indicated that the methods could automatically recognize concrete columns, correctly measure the properties of the cracks in a crack map, and accurately evaluate the impacts of air pockets and discoloration on the visual quality of concrete surfaces.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010.
Committee Co-Chair: DesRoches, Reginald; Committee Co-Chair: Leon, Roberto T.; Committee Member: Craig, James I.; Committee Member: Goodno, Barry; Committee Member: White, Donald W. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Mestrado em Engenharia Civil Área de Especialização: Estruturas
O presente trabalho de mestrado tem como objetivo principal a elaboração de um plano tático de gestão patrimonial de infraestruturas (GPI) segundo a metodologia preconizada pela Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços de Água e Resíduos (ERSAR), aplicada à rede de abastecimento de água do Lavradio. Esta metodologia tem em conta três níveis de decisão (i.e., estratégico, tático e operacional) assim como três dimensões de análise, nomeadamente, o custo, o risco e o desempenho. Com base nas estratégias definidas no plano estratégico de GPI para o período 2015-2035, definiram-se os objetivos táticos, os critérios e as métricas de avaliação. Para calcular algumas das métricas recorreu-se a ferramentas de apoio, como por exemplo, modelo de simulação hidráulica da rede e balanço hídrico do sistema. O diagnóstico tático, que consistiu no cômputo das métricas, revelou uma rede envelhecida, com excessivas intervenções em ramais e uma elevada percentagem de consumo não medido. Com base no resultado do diagnóstico foram definidas as metas que se pretendem atingir nos horizontes de análise considerados. Desenvolveram-se, para além da alternativa de referência de statu quo, três outras alternativas de modo a permitir solucionar os problemas identificados assim como alcançar as metas estabelecidas. Posteriormente, procedeu-se à previsão do desempenho futuro de cada uma destas alternativas, tendo em conta a inexorável deterioração dos componentes. A par desta previsão futura, foi calculado o investimento anual associado à implementação de cada uma das alternativas e verificada a sua exequibilidade orçamental. Os resultados obtidos para as diferentes métricas foram agregados através de um método multicritério, o qual devolveu uma ordenação preferencial das alternativas de intervenção. As alternativas que apresentavam o melhor desempenho e que cumpriam com as metas estabelecidas foram excluídas da análise uma vez que excediam o orçamento disponível. Independentemente disso, a alternativa mais bem classificada não permitiria que diversas metas fossem alcançadas nos horizontes de planeamento considerados. Concluiu-se assim que as metas não estão adaptadas ao sistema em análise, ficando a recomendação para a revisão das metas constantes no plano estratégico.
The current master’s thesis has as its primary objective the elaboration of an infrastructure asset management (IAM) plan at a tactical level, using methodology preconized by the Portuguese Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR) and applied to Lavradio's water supply system. This methodology establishes that the IAM plan should have three distinct planning levels: strategic, tactical and operational. Each level of planning should consider three different points of view: cost, risk, and performance. The definition of the tactical objectives, criteria, and metrics was based on the strategies and the strategic objectives, previously defined in the strategic plan for the period of 2015-2035. Support tools were used to calculate some of the metrics, such as the network's hydraulic simulation model and water balance. A diagnosis is reached after the metrics were calculated, and reveals a decayed network, an excessive amount of interventions conducted in its service connections, and an elevated percentage of unmetered consumption. Targets to be achieved within the analysis' horizon were defined based on the diagnosis' result. Three other alternatives were developed, along with the status quo alternative, to solve the already acknowledged problems, as well as achieving the pre-established targets. The inevitable deterioration of the components was considered in the assessment of the alternatives’ responses over time. The annual investment needed to implement each one of the alternatives was calculated along with this future forecast, and its financial feasibility was considered. The alternatives’ results for all different metrics were aggregated through a multicriteria decision analysis method to rank the alternatives. The best alternatives that comply with the pre-established targets were vetoed from the analysis, as they exceeded the available budget. Nonetheless, the outstanding alternative would not permit certain targets to be achieved within the pre-established planning horizons. As a conclusion is reached, revealing that the pre-established targets would not adapt to the case study, a review of the current strategic plan’s targets is highly recommended.

Following large rain events, excess flow in sanitary sewers from inflow and infiltration (I/I) cause sanitary sewer overflows (SSO), resulting in significant problems for Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area. Stormwater enters the sanitary sewers as inflow from improper or illegal surface connections, and groundwater enters the system as infiltration through cracks in subsurface infrastructure. This pilot study was designed to develop methods to separate and quantify the components of I/I and to build a predictive model using flowmeter and rainfall data. To identify surface inflow, daily wastewater production and groundwater infiltration patterns were filtered from the flow data, leaving a residual signal of random variation and possible inflow. The groundwater infiltration (as base infiltration, BI) was calculated using the Stevens-Schutzbach method, and daily wastewater flow curves were generated from dry weather flow (DWF) data. Filtered DWF values were used to construct a range of expected residuals, encompassing 95% of the variability inherent in the system. Filtered wet weather flows were compared to this range, and values above the range were considered significant, indicating the presence of surface inflow. At all 3 flow meters in the pilot study site, no surface inflow was detected, and the I/I was attributed to groundwater infiltration (as BI). Flow data from 2 smaller sub-sewersheds within the greater sewershed allowed analysis of the spatial variability in BI and provided a method to focus in on the most problematic areas. In the sub-sewershed with the shallowest water table and most submerged sanitary sewer infrastructure, an average of 56% of the average daily flow consisted of groundwater, compared to 44% for the entire study site. Cross-correlation analysis suggests that rain impacts the water table for up to 9 days, with the highest impact 1 to 3 days after rain events, and the water table, in turn, impacts infiltration for up to 6 days. The highest correlation between rainfall and infiltration occurs 3 to 5 days after a rain event, which corroborates observations from Pinellas County that severe flows to the reclamation facility continue for 3 to 5 days after severe storms. These results were used to build a linear regression model to predict base infiltration (per mile of pipeline) during the wet season using the previous 7 days of daily rainfall depths. The model tended to under-predict infiltration response to large storm events with a R2 value of 0.52 and standard error of regression of 5.3. The results of the study show that inflow can be detected using simple time series analysis instead of traditional smoke and dye testing. In this study site, however, groundwater infiltration is the only significant source of I/I. Additionally, water table and sewer invert elevations serve as useful indicators of potential sites of groundwater infiltration. Infiltration can be modeled as a function of the previous 7 days of rainfall, however simple linear regression cannot fully capture the complexity of the system response.

um mercado em evolução, resultado da crescente consciência para a necessidade de promover ações de conservação e reabilitação do património edificado. O presente trabalho pretende contribuir para uma melhor compreensão e caracterização dos processos que compõem as operações de reabilitação, tendo como base de estudo, a reabilitação das redes prediais da unidade hoteleira, Quinta das Murtas, em Sintra. As redes de saneamento predial constituem uma das principais causas do aparecimento de patologias em edifícios, traduzindo-se em significativos fatores de desconforto. Este estudo visa propor a adoção de soluções construtivas eficientes, pouco intrusivas e economicamente viáveis, que visem satisfazer as necessidades de conforto do edifício, dentro dos seus condicionantes. A execução dos trabalhos de reabilitação será aqui descrita de forma a dar a conhecer eventuais objeções ao projeto que caracterizam os trabalhos de reabilitação de edifícios antigos; Abstract: Rehabilitation Proposals for the Sanitary Infrastructure of a Hotel Building - Case Study The rehabilitation sector is emerging as an alternative to new construction, since is an expanding market, as result of the growing awareness for the need to promote conservation actions and rehabilitation of the built heritage. This thesis aims to contribute to better understanding and characterization of the processes that is involved in rehabilitation works, considering as case study, the rehabilitation of building sanitation networks of an hotel unit, Quinta das Murtas in Sintra. The building sanitation networks are a major cause for the appearance of pathologies in buildings, causing significant factors of discomfort. This study aims to propose the adoption of efficient construction solutions, less intrusive and economically viable, aiming to meet the building's comfort needs within their constraints. The implementation of the rehabilitation works will be described here in order to expose any objections to the project featuring the rehabilitation works of old buildings.

Hållbarhets- och klimatfokus driver aktörer inom bygg- och anläggningsbranschen att utveckla nya arbetssätt och verktyg för att minimera klimatpåverkan från den egna verksamheten. Livscykelanalyser, LCA, som ett miljöledningsverktyg för att analysera och minska klimatpåverkan från processer kräver stora resurser för att applicera LCAmetodik på hela entreprenadprojekt. Ett flertal nischade beräkningsverktyg har därför utvecklats av intressenter inom ledningsrenovering. Som ledningsnätsägare har Norrvatten höga krav på kvalitet vid nyläggning och renovering av huvudvattenledningar. Men även ett miljöfokus och engagemang för nya tekniker som mynnat ut i användandet av nya schaktfria metoder för renoveringsprojekt, ibland i grunden av praktiska skäl men där en betydande minskning av klimatpåverkan kan anses uppstå till följd. Genom större insyn i klimatpåverkan från entreprenadprojekt skapas underlag för framtida beslutsfattande, arbetsprocesser och fortsatta studier. Syftet med studien var att se över tillgängliga beräkningsverktyg och deras användbarhet och användarvänlighet. Vidare att analysera aktuella vattenledningsentreprenadprojekt utförda i öppen schakt samt schaktfri metod för att se om dessa val kan påverka hur entreprenader kan utföras mer hållbart, ur ett klimatmässigt och ekonomiskt perspektiv. Under studien uppstod problem vid resursinventering för entreprenaderna, där faktiska mängder från entreprenörer ej kunde erhållas. Endast övergripande kartläggning och analys utfördes därför av entreprenaderna, i kombination med ett antal beräkningsverktyg tillgängliga på marknaden. Studien visar att många nischade beräkningsverktyg baserade på LCA-metodik saknar anpassning för analys av ledningsentreprenader med större rördimensioner, vanligt förekommande inom Norrvattens ledningsnät. Beräkningsverktyg saknar även den transparens och därmed jämförbarhet som renodlade LCA-verktyg. Resultatet visade dock att, även trots antagen och uppskattad analys av ingående parametrar för projekten, skapades en ganska likartad bild av den procentuella sänkningen av kg CO2-ekvivalenter mellan de olika teknikerna. Den beräknade klimatpåverkan var omkring 80% lägre per meter ledning för påverkanskategori GWP, liknande det resultat som kunde erhållas från nischade beräkningsverktyg. Med hänsyn tagen till att den schaktfria metoden infodring är relativt ny för dricksvattenledningar samt har en halverad teoretisk materiallivslängd kan en teoretisk brytpunkt beräknas till 231,8 år eller drygt fyra schaktfria renoveringar innan klimatpåverkan uppgår till motsvarande renovering i traditionell öppen schakt. Fortsatta studier kan med fördel mer ingående fokusera på resursinventering av entreprenader och fördjupning inom transparenta LCA-verktyg likt miljöberäkningsverktyget, BM 1.0. Alternativt bygga vidare på rapportens analys och beräkningsdel för framtagning av ett nischat beräkningsverktyg.
Sustainability and environmental focus drives actors in the construction industry into developing new working methods and tools to minimize the climate impact from their own activities. Life cycle assessment, LCA, as an environmental management tool for analyzing and reducing the climate impact of processes require considerable resources to apply the methodology to entire construction projects. A number of niche calculation tools have therefore been developed by actors working with trenchless technologies. As a grid owner, Norrvatten has high demands on quality when installing and renovating main water pipes. But also, an environmental focus and commitment to new technologies that have resulted in the use of new shaft-free methods for renovation projects, sometimes for practical reasons but where a significant reduction in climate impact can result. Greater transparency in the climate impact from contracting projects creates the basis for future decision-making, work processes and further studies. The purpose of the study was to review available calculation tools and their usefulness and ease of use. Furthermore, to analyze current projects carried out in open shafts and shaft-free method to see if these choices can affect how contracts can be carried out more sustainably, from a climate and economic perspective. During the study there were problems with gathering information about used resource from the contractors, therefore actual quantities from contractors could not be obtained. Only overall mapping and analysis was carried out, in combination with a number of calculation tools available on the market. The study shows that many niche calculation tools based on LCA methodology lack adaptation for analysis of management contracts with larger pipe dimensions, commonly found in Norrvatten's pipeline network. Calculation tools also lack the transparency and thus comparability as general LCA tools. The result also showed that despite rough assumptions and analysis using several different calculation tools, with different input parameters, a fairly similar picture was created of the percentage reduction in kg CO2 equivalents between the different technologies. The calculated result in climate impact category GPW was about 80% lower per meter pipeline. A similar result that could be obtained from niche calculation tools. Given that the NoDig-method with liner for potable water pipes is fairly new on the market and has a halved theoretical material-lifespan, a theoretical break-even can be estimated to 231,8 years or just over four life cycles of rehabilitation of pipes with the use of this NoDig-technology, before reaching the climate impact corresponding to traditional open shafts. Continued studies can advantageously focus more on resource inventory of contracts and in-depth in transparent LCA-tools like the environmental calculation tool, BM 1.0. Or deeper analysis and further development on a niche calculation tool.

Neste trabalho são analisados os Sistemas de Gerência de Pavimentos Urbanos (SGPU) e os Sistemas de lnformação Geográfica (SIG) visando a obtenção de formas com que possam ser aplicados para a compatibilização das atividades de gerência de todas as redes de infra-estrutura pública urbana (pavimento, água, esgoto, telefone, gás, energia elétrica). Desenvolve-se um projeto piloto, utilizando o aplicativo de SIG TransCAD para a gerência de pavimentos sob duas condições: na primeira, através de uma interface com um programa de gerência de pavimentos urbanos já em utilização (URMS, desenvolvido na Universidade do Texas em Austin); na segunda, como plataforma para o desenvolvimento de um novo sistema de gerência de pavimentos, tanto em nível de rede como em nível de projeto. São utilizadas bases de dados para o pavimento e para a rede de água de abastecimento, criadas para a análise de viabilidade da compatibilização da gerência de pavimentos com as atividades de concessionárias de serviços públicos urbanos, a qual confirmou a grande potencialidade do uso dos Sistemas de Informação Geográfica para a gerência integrada e racional da infra-estrutura pública urbana.
This work presents studies about Urban Pavement Management Systems (U-PMS) and Geographic lnformation Systems (GIS) aiming their utilization as a tool for the harmonization of urban infrastructure (pavement, gas, electric power, sewer, water, telephone) maintenance and rehabilitation activities. lt is developed a pilot study using the SIG software called TransCAD for pavement management under two conditions: the first one, through an interface with an already in use pavement management system (URMS, developed at the University of Texas at Austin); the second one, as a framework for the development of a new pavement management system, at network and project levels. Data bases for pavement and water networks are used for analysis of the harmonization of pavement management with other public infrastructure activities, which confirmed the great power of GIS for utilization in a rational and integrated urban infrastructure management system.

Civil infrastructure systems are the foundation of economic growth and prosperity in all nations. In recent years, infrastructure rehabilitation has been a focus of attention in North America and around the world. A large percentage of existing infrastructure assets is deteriorating due to harsh environmental conditions, insufficient capacity, and age. Ideally, an assets management system would include functions such as condition assessment, deterioration modeling, repair modeling, life-cycle cost analysis, and asset prioritization for repair along a planning horizon. While many asset management systems have been introduced in the literature, few or no studies have reported on the performance of either optimization or heuristic tools on large-scale networks of assets. This research presents an extensive comparison between heuristic and genetic-algorithm optimization methods for handling large-scale rehabilitation programs. Heuristic and optimization fund-allocation approaches have been developed for three case studies obtained from the literature related to buildings, pavements, and bridges with different life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) formulations. Large-scale networks were constructed for comparing the efficiency of heuristic and optimization approaches on large-scale rehabilitation programs. Based on extensive experiments with various case studies on different network sizes, the heuristic technique proved its practicality for handling various network sizes while maintaining the same efficiency and performance levels. The performance of the genetic algorithm optimization approach decreased with network size and model complexity. The optimization technique can provide a high performance level, given enough processing time.

abstract: This dissertation presents a portable methodology for holistic planning and optimization of right of way infrastructure rehabilitation that was designed to generate monetary savings when compared to planning that only considers single infrastructure components. Holistic right of way infrastructure planning requires simultaneous consideration of the three right of way infrastructure components that are typically owned and operated under the same municipal umbrella: roads, sewer, and water. The traditional paradigm for the planning of right way asset management involves operating in silos where there is little collaboration amongst different utility departments in the planning of maintenance, rehabilitation, and renewal projects. By collaborating across utilities during the planning phase, savings can be achieved when collocated rehabilitation projects from different right of way infrastructure components are synchronized to occur at the same time. These savings are in the form of shared overhead and mobilization costs, and roadway projects providing open space for subsurface utilities. Individual component models and a holistic model that utilize evolutionary algorithms to optimize five year maintenance, rehabilitation, and renewal plans for the road, sewer, and water components were created and compared. The models were designed to be portable so that they could be used with any infrastructure condition rating, deterioration modeling, and criticality assessment systems that might already be in place with a municipality. The models attempt to minimize the overall component score, which is a function of the criticality and condition of the segments within each network, by prescribing asset management activities to different segments within a component network while subject to a constraining budget. The individual models were designed to represent the traditional decision making paradigm and were compared to the holistic model. In testing at three different budget levels, the holistic model outperformed the individual models in the ability to generate five year plans that optimized prescribed maintenance, rehabilitation and renewal for various segments in order to achieve the goal of improving the component score. The methodology also achieved the goal of being portable, in that it is compatible with any condition rating, deterioration, and criticality system.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Construction 2012

The numerous buildings that currently require thermal rehabilitation in Romania means that substantial resources and a large number of competent people are required to carry out surveys and energy audits. However, commercial energy balance software is mostly unaffordable for those organisations involved in this process. This paper describes an energy balance programme – ENEFControl – developed to be a rapid, low cost, local tool able to assist in the choice of energy efficient solutions for buildings. To test the software, thermal and energy analyses were carried out on a 1970s built apartment block in Transylvania. Based on these analyses, three constructive scenarios were proposed for thermal rehabilitation. Compared to the performance of the analysed building, the thermal and energy performance of the retrofitted building in all three scenarios significantly improved. Since European Union accession in 2007, rapidly rising energy costs have affected the Romanian population. ENEFControl offers Romanian engineers and architects an opportunity to speed up the rehabilitation programme of buildings without the need for more expensive expertise and tools.

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Civil apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
As infraestruturas rodoviárias assumem uma importância fundamental no desenvolvimento económico de um país, sendo que as vias municipais em particular, são de grande relevância não só para as empresas, mas também para as pessoas que todos os dias as utilizam para os mais variados fins, numa lógica de mobilidade integrada.A manutenção destas infraestruturas tem sido um dos pontos fundamentais nas atribuições e responsabilidades das autarquias. Não há nenhuma autarquia que não tenha no seu Plano de Obras e respetivo Orçamento uma verba destinada à manutenção, reabilitação ou construção de infraestruturas de transportes.O desafio de construir um modelo de eficácia, eficiência e qualidade da intervenção, tem nos instrumentos financeiros ao dispor das autarquias, uma condição nem sempre fácil de ultrapassar. Para além das naturais dificuldades técnicas de inventariar a totalidade das patologias numa infraestrutura desta natureza, advém a dificuldade técnica de conceber, propor, caracterizar, efetuar o procedimento legal, adjudicar, contratar, realizar, fiscalizar, gerir, vistoriar, receber provisoriamente e finalmente rececionar definitivamente a intervenção numa infraestrutura rodoviária.Na dissertação de Mestrado num caso de estudo, é efetuada uma análise crítica dos procedimentos de concurso relativos a três intervenções de conservação de infraestruturas rodoviárias, com todos os elementos imprescindíveis, desde a deteção das patologias até à receção definitiva após a intervenção de conservação, contribuindo com a visão de quem tem que tomar a decisão de propor a contratação, como contratar, de acordo com o rigor da legislação vigente em Portugal. O outro estudo de caso, corresponde a uma intervenção relevante em termos municipais, com a implementação de um Plano de Investimentos na reabilitação da rede rodoviária municipal em quatro anos, o que poderá servir de modelo para outros municípios.As decisões tomadas harmonizarão uma melhor perceção e entendimento deste tipo de processos bem como as deliberações que devem ser realizadas, por todos os agentes envolvidos.
Road infrastructures have a fundamental role in the economic development of a country, and the municipal roads have a big importance not only for companies, but for the people that use them every day for various ends, in a integrate mobility approachThe maintenance of these infrastructures has been one of the fundamental points in the duties and responsibilities of municipalities. There isn’t any municipality that doesn’t have a budget for the maintenance, rehabilitation or construction of road infrastructures in their Works Plans and their respective Budget.The challenge of building a model of efficacy, efficiency and intervention quality, with the financial instruments available to the municipalities, isn’t always an easy condition to surpass. Apart from the usual technical difficulties of inventorying all the pathologies in a infrastructure of this kind, arise the technical difficulties of conceiving, proposing, characterizing, proceeding with the legal procedure, adjudicate, contracting, performing, supervising, managing, inspecting, receiving provisionally and finally definitively making a intervention in a road infrastructure. In the Master’s dissertation one case study will critically analyse the procedure for a contest relative to three interventions applied to a road infrastructure, with all the necessary elements, beginning at the detection of pathologies until the definitive reception after the maintenance intervention, contributing with the vision of who has to make the decision to hire, how to hire, according to the present legislation in Portugal. In the other case study corresponds to a relevant intervention in municipality terms, with the implementation of an Investment Plan in the rehabilitation of a municipal road in four years, that may become a model for others municipalities, executed by a public contest, with all its procedural stages. The decisions made will harmonize a better perception and understanding of this kind of procedures as well as the deliberations that must be made by all the agents involved.

According to the National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure (InfraGuide), Canadian municipalities spend $12 to $15 billion annually on infrastructure; however, this does not seem to be enough to maintain ageing infrastructures and rehabilitate them to higher safety standards. The solution according to InfraGuide is "to change the way we plan, design, and manage infrastructures" . Several rehabilitation planning methods are reported in the literature for public infrastructures, such as bridges, pavements, sewers, or others. These methods, however, are limited to specific types of infrastructure. In this research, a novel method for Maintenance and Rehabilitation Planning for Public Infrastructure (M&RPPI) is developed. One that is generic for any type of public infrastructure. The method aims at determining the optimal rehabilitation profile over a desired analysis period. Specifically, it will determine the best type of rehabilitation intervention, and its optimal timing. The M&RPPI method is based on life-cycle costing (LCC) with probabilistic and continuous rating approach for condition states. The M&RPPI also uses a new approach of " dynamic " Markov chain to represent the deterioration mechanism of an infrastructure and the impact of rehabilitation interventions on such infrastructure. As an optimization technique, genetic algorithm (GA) is used in conjunction with Markov chains in order to find the optimal or quasi-optimal rehabilitation profile. The way GA communicates with the transition probability matrices (TPM) is described. In addition, a new directed-GA approach was developed in order to guide the optimization process toward the final solution. Finally a computer program using Excel and VBA macros is developed in order to prove workability of the developed method. The developed M&RPPI methodology is applied to the deterioration problem of Montreal Metro system. In order to validate the performance of the proposed methodology, three different types of analysis are performed using: (1) traditional Markov decision process (MDP) that uses a discrete rating scale, (2) continuous rating method, and (3) the proposed M&RPPI method with GA optimization technique. Results show the benefits of using continuous rating in contrast with discrete method. They also demonstrate the superiority of GA compared to other optimization methods. In addition, the proposed M&RPPI method provides a complete M&R Plan over a required study period, not only a stationary decision policy. Finally, the M&RPPI is a major step towards a broader infrastructure management system, addressing network-level problems

Orientação: Manuel Joaquim S. Moreno
A presente dissertação consiste na reflexão do impacto dos viadutos na malha urbana, demonstrando a potencialidade do espaço sobrante, de recuperação e requalificação como espaço público. Esta reflexão é materializada numa proposta de requalificação urbana e arquitectónica para o baixo do viaduto da Rua Duque de Loulé, no Porto. Tomando como ponto de partida o Movimento Moderno, desenvolve-se uma reflexão crítica sobre a origem dos espaços sobrantes, no sentido de compreender a evolução da arquitectura, das mutações urbanas e o espaço configurado por estes agentes. A complexidade de definição e intervenção no local leva à necessidade de compreensão do que são os vazios urbanos. A caracterização destes espaços é ampla, podendo estes adquirir diferentes sentidos e formas. O desafio passa, portanto, pelo conhecimento da definição dos espaços sobrantes, bem como, pela compreensão de métodos válidos, de actuação no espaço. Os casos de estudo são a contribuição para o conhecimento e actuação no local, onde surge a proposta, onde procura-se uma intervenção prática, sólida e válida, com sentido de integrar a envolvente próxima, e expandir, consolidadamente, o espaço público da cidade do Porto.
This dissertation is a reflection on the impact of viaducts and the voids they created in the urban fabric, attempting to demonstrate their potential for the recovery and rehabilitation of public space. This reflection is embodied in a proposal for the urban and architectural renewal of the underlying space of Rua Duque de Loulé’s viaduct, in Porto. Taking as its starting point the Modern Movement, this work develops a critical reflection on the origin of surplus spaces, in order to understand the evolution of architecture, of urban mutations and of the space configured by these agents. The complexity of defining an onsite intervention creates a need for a proper understanding of urban voids. The characterization of these spaces is vast, and they acquire different meanings and forms. The challenge is, therefore, the knowledge of the definition of surplus spaces, as well as the understanding of valid methods of action in space. The case studies are a contribution to knowledge and action in the particular place, of the proposal, which seeks to be a practical intervention, solid and valid, to integrate with the nearby surroundings, and expand, consolidated, the public space of Porto.

The aim of this thesis is to analyse and interpret the existent and future needs of the people and environment of the mission station, Kwasizabantu,to ensure settlement growth that will enhance the social, economical and environmental aspects of the settlement. This will result in a development framework of the whole site, a master plan for the lifespan of the settlement and detailed design of the heart of the settlement.
Dissertation (ML(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009.
Architecture
unrestricted